The Frame

Bob Thiele leads The Forest Rangers, a band that was spawned by the "Sons of Anarchy" TV series; comedian Andy Kindler takes no prisoners when he gives his annual State of the Industry speech; a filmmaker is challenging the copyright claim to "Happy Birthday to You," which keeps the song out of many TV shows and movies.

When Marlon Brando died, he left hundreds of hours of himself on tape, which were culled for the documentary, "Listen to Me Marlon"; a 1965 gospel concert at L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium was special not only for its stars, but also because it was recorded — a rarity for its day; NBC Universal will reportedly invest $250 million in BuzzFeed's growing digital empire.

Five finalists were chosen to develop pilot scripts for a TV series that calls for a female engineer protagonist; Summer can be a great time to watch TV, if you know where to look; the singer Little Boots was once signed to Atlantic Records, but she decided having her own label is a better fit.

A comedy writer has sued Conan O'Brien, claiming his show stole jokes that were first posted on Twitter; on "Song Exploder," Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie dissects "El Dorado"; director James Ponsoldt was initially skeptical that a book about being on tour with writer David Foster Wallace could be a movie.

The Beijing-based Wanda Group financed "Southpaw," just the latest example of Chinese investments in Hollywood; The Next MacGyver contest hopes to encourage women engineers with the promise of a TV pilot; Juilliard-trained Brad Segal has become the go-to composer for reality shows.

The British actor reunites with director Bill Condon to play a 93-year-old version of Sherlock Holmes in "Mr. Holmes" (pictured); Chinese authorities have returned the passport of dissident artist Ai Weiwei, who had been unable to leave the country since 2011; the makers of the documentary about crowd-funding, "Capital C," financed their film through a crowd-funding campaign.

Noted muralist Kent Twitchell (pictured) has created a new work for the Special Olympics; playwright Todd Almond was inspired by Matthew Sweet's 1991 album, "Girlfriend," for his musical about growing up gay; the Teragram Ballroom tries to carve out a niche on the local live music landscape.

Kurt Sutter has been writing film scripts while working on demanding TV shows, and now his first feature, "Southpaw" (pictured), is being released; the singer Miguel talks about growing up mixed-race in his beloved L.A.; the box office for "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" and "Dope" hasn't measured up to their indie darling hype.

A landmark album from 1966 (pictured) pairing the singer and bandleader is revisited as part of a Sinatra tribute at the Hollywood Bowl; YouTube is betting that audiences will pay for a commercial-free service; Camp Reel Stories is a summer camp designed to introduce teenaged girls to filmmaking.

Lisa Hanawalt's lifelong equine obsession pays off in her role as production designer for the animated series, "BoJack Horseman" (pictured); with embassies re-opening in Washington and Havana, cultural exchange could be on the upswing; costume designers for superhero movies take comic book drawings and turn them into flashy but practical outfits.

A new study concludes that the people who rate films for the MPAA are becoming desensitized to violence; "Fury" rolls over the weekend box office; and a "Mad Men" actor goes back in time again.

How filmmaker Jorge Gutierrez (far right) got Guillermo del Toro to produce his feature debut, "The Book of Life"; a look at Brad Pitt's WWII drama, "Fury," and other new films out today; and musician Marissa Lauren talks about opening for Lena Dunham.

Director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu flies high with “Birdman"; undocumented students tell their own stories on stage in “Dreaming Sin Fronteras"; and playwright Dael Orlandersmith confronts family matters in “Forever.”

HBO will launch a streaming service, but Warner Bros. studios must cut $200 million in overhead; What makes a hit song? Ask the "Song Exploder"; and California tries cultural diplomacy in China.

"The Walking Dead" debuted to big numbers — meanwhile, Nielsen's hold on the ratings business is being challenged; Foxygen releases a new album; and the Encuentro Theater Festival launches.

The networks seek Latino viewers with "Cristela" and "Jane the Virgin"; "Gone Girl" stays on top at the box office; and director David Dobkin switches genres for "The Judge."

Comedian Dan Mintz talks about his new stand-up album and his "Bob's Burgers" character, Tina; Grae Drake of Rotten Tomatoes dissects this weekend's film releases; and John Lydon, née Rotten, speaks his mind.

Move over Sundance — the L.A. neighborhood adds an independent film festival; The band OK Go on the new album, “Hungry Ghost”; and Joan Baez adapts to her changing voice.

29-year-old writer/director Damien Chazelle (in red shirt) makes his feature film debut with "Whiplash"; Deaf West Theatre hits it big with the 2006 Tony Award winner; and Slate's popular podcast comes to L.A. for a live stage show.

"The Judge" is the first release from Robert and Susan Downey's new production company; PBS' "Makers" series looks at women in the entertainment business; Common Sense Media lends its imprimatur to film studios; and a life in photos with Led Zep's guitarist.

Visual effects artists prepare for the day when virtual reality is a filmmaking reality; a low-budget horror film rakes in the bucks; touring tips from Belle & Sebastian's singer.

Director John Leonetti joins us to talk about 'Annabelle,' the prequel to the wildly successful "The Conjuring"; we visit the unlikely cultural hub of Marfa, Texas for its annual music festival; and Nicolas Cage takes a dubious step into the rapture film genre.